This invention relates to a system for refrigerating and/or heating products which are required to be maintained at a desired temperature during the distribution process to the public such as beer, milk, meats, and other products requiring temperature control. In particular, the invention relates to a multiplex warehousing system wherein certain areas needing cooling and/or heating in the distribution process of the product, such as a vehicle loading area and product storage areas are cooled and/or heated by an efficient and environmentally friendly system.
Heretofore, it has been known to distribute beer and other products using trucks which have a cargo container in which the product is carried during delivery. Sometimes the product is refrigerated and placed in the cargo container, and sometimes the vehicle includes a refrigeration system to maintain the temperature of the product. In either case, the product is often not maintained at the desired temperature either because the product and the cargo container cooling cannot be maintained. In particular, a product is often loaded on the vehicle the night before delivery and the vehicle is utilized in the hot sun the next day. The product is often delivered through the next day resulting in the temperature of the cargo container rising above the desired temperature. If product is left over and remains on the truck at the end of the day, it becomes labor intensive to unload the product and remove it to a refrigerated or heated facility.
Moreover, past systems have used a large number of sealed refrigerant refrigeration systems which require refilling and involve other problems which allow leakage of fluorocarbons into the atmosphere which is highly undesirable. In unrelated uses, it has been known to use a sealed refrigerant system with a compressible/expandable refrigerant to chill a glycol/water solution in ice skating rinks and the like wherein the chilled solution is utilized to maintain the frozen condition of the ice. U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,500 discloses the use of a similar concept in a system for cooling food on an airplane.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,548,967 discloses a method and apparatus for cooling and preserving fresh products in a box compartment, such as a vehicle trailer, by circulating brine from a refrigeration system through cooling circuits disposed in the walls of the box compartment. U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,584 discloses a conventional refrigeration system for a trailer truck.
While the above may be suitable for their intended applications, the prior art has not provided a satisfactory system for maintaining the temperature at a number of different temperature zones within a multiplex warehouse distribution system during a distribution process of a beverage or food product using delivery vehicles, particularly, a system for maintaining the temperature of the product in the cargo container of the vehicle while parked at the warehouse complex in a reliable and environmental friendly manner, and without the extensive need of labor to off load and reload the product to maintain the product temperature.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a system which more efficiently and reliably maintains the temperature of product during the distribution process, particularly in the cargo container of a delivery vehicle.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a more environmental friendly temperature maintenance system for food and beverage products in the delivery process where the use of sealed fluorocarbon refrigerant units is reduced, particularly at a number of locations and units.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a multiplex system wherein several areas that involve the cooling and/or heating of product and/or the delivery vehicle itself are carried out in an efficient manner using a central system which provides a more efficient and environmental friendly system.
The above objectives are accomplished according to the present invention by providing a system for maintaining the temperature of food and beverage products located at a plurality of remote temperature control zones within a distribution multiplex which includes a main refrigeration center connected in fluid communication to the temperature control zones. The refrigeration center includes a primary refrigeration unit which employs a compressible, primary refrigerant; and a source of a secondary fluid which is chilled by the primary refrigerant to provide a refrigerated secondary fluid. A fluid distribution center stores the secondary fluid and distributes the secondary fluid to the temperature control zones as needed. A plurality of main supply lines and main return lines are connected in fluid communication between the distribution center and the temperature control zones for supplying and returning the secondary fluid to the distribution center. A pump is connected in each of the main supply lines for selectively delivering the secondary fluid to one of the temperature control zones as the need requires to maintain a desired temperature at a corresponding temperature control zone. There is a cargo temperature control zone which includes a parking area, and a plurality of delivery vehicles having cargo containers in which the product is contained for delivery parked at the parking area. There is at least one air handling unit located at the cargo temperature control zone through which the secondary fluid passes in a heat exchange relationship with air to create a refrigerated air flow which is distributed into a cargo container of at least one vehicle for cooling the product. In an illustrated embodiment of the invention, an air handling unit is carried in the cargo container of each vehicle parked at the cargo temperature control zone. A plurality of flexible, auxiliary supply and return lines are connected to the main supply and return lines and are releasably coupled to the cargo containers for delivering the secondary fluid to the air handling unit within each cargo container. Preferably, each cargo container includes a first air handling unit disposed toward the front end of the cargo container and a second air handling unit disposed toward the rear end of the cargo container.
In another embodiment, the system may include an air handling unit located at the cargo temperature control zone outside of the cargo containers of the vehicles, and an air duct system arranged to receive the refrigerated air flow from the air handling unit and distribute the refrigerated air flow into one the cargo containers of one or more of the delivery vehicles. The air duct system comprises a manifold in fluid communication with the air handling unit, and a plurality of flexible air supply ducts connected to the manifold and releasably coupled to the cargo containers for delivering the refrigerated air flow into the cargo containers.
Heat reclamation may also be utilized in the systems to add heat to additional areas, or to produce hot water, or to heat the product rather than cooling. The system is designed primarily for the beer manufacturing, storage, and delivery industry, but may have other applications as well. The system is unique in that it will cool several different areas or zones at different temperatures in different locations, while only using one sealed fluorocarbon refrigeration unit. The system is environmentally friendly in that it uses up to 85% less fluorocarbons to accomplish the end results in refrigeration. Although the factory sealed and packaged primary unit does use fluorocarbon gas to do its work, the total refrigerant use of the present system is up to 85% less than the amount used in typical direct-expansion systems now in use for maintaining product temperature. The use of a single factory-sealed unit at a central location, together with a secondary non-sealed refrigerant system at remote locations, greatly diminishes the possibility of fluorocarbon gas escaping into the atmosphere. The primary refrigeration unit maintains the secondary fluid at a predetermined temperature setting. This temperature setting corresponds directly to the coldest coil temperature needed at the different zones or buildings.
Since the secondary refrigerated fluid is kept at the lowest possible required temperature during cooling applications, all other higher temperature zones or buildings are maintained by individual thermostats that operate the individual zone pumps located at the distribution center. When a zone needs cooling, the thermostat for that zone signals a small circulation pump at the distribution center.
The distribution center, which is part of the multiplex system, is sized so as to accommodate storage of more than the total solution capacity of the entire system, including all zones. This is of benefit in the event of mechanical failure where flood back of the solution might occur, or during future service. The multiplex system components are usually oversized. By doing this, redundancy is built in for future expansion. The cost of future expansion is greatly reduced as a result.
The system has a wide range of temperature applications, and can be supplied in a flooded condenser model for use in low temperature environments. The entry cost, the maintenance cost, and the operation cost of this equipment is much less because of the starting and stopping of small pumps in lieu of starting and stopping many individual refrigeration units. The air handlers in the system utilize special fin spacing on the coils for added control of humidity and cooling.
In one embodiment, a kit incorporates the use of a hinge or hide-a-way mounted, three section or four section, vertical door assembly (FIG. 5). This door assembly is installed directly behind the original slide up door that covers each individual cargo bay. The purpose of this modification is to maintain the integrity of the refrigerated product inside the truck. Its use keeps the cold, heavy, air inside the bay area, even as the upper door sections are opened during product delivery. It is only necessary to open enough doors to remove the amount of product needed at that location.
The door panels are designed and manufactured in quite the same manner as the insulation panels, except heavier insulation and aluminum sandwich sheeting is used to manufacture these door sections. These door kits are installed in such a manner so as to allow for very sturdy operation. xe2x80x9cLock openxe2x80x9d features are built into each door so that each door can lock open or out of the way during loading and unloading. (FIG. 9). This kit is offered with two mounting options. One model is hinge mounted, and the other is a hide-a-way type that slides into a side pocket located inside the cargo area of the truck. A complete retrofit door assembly for each cargo bay opening may be provided, or the door assembly may be originally manufactured. Without the use of the kit, the entire product and refrigerated air inside the cargo bay is exposed to the outside weather condition each time the bay door is raised.
By using the door kit you are still able to use the original slide up door as designed. However, you are now able to keep insulation between the refrigerated product and the weather. With this kit installed, it is only necessary to open enough doors to expose the product you intend to off load at that particular delivery location. As a rule, each bay is loaded from bottom to top with the same product. This product is usually stacked in cardboard flats on top of a wooden pallet. Because several delivery stops are usually made before a bay is totally empty, the use of this kit serves as an insulation barrier between the heavy cold air in a bay and the hot weather outside. These multi section door kits are designed using extruded high quality refrigeration grade insulation board sandwiched between two layers of sheet aluminum. The mounting kit may vary from one trailer to another due to the different trailer dimensions. The standard kit is designed to fit a sixteen bay, eighteen bay, or twenty two bay Hackney model 3RTX trailer, as an example, but kits for many different trucks/trailers are manufactured.
Since it is necessary for a driver to occasionally step up inside the trailer to off load the top loaded flats, a step assembly is included in the kit. This assembly includes a step plate designed to fit each trailer. One left side assembly per truck, and one right side assembly per truck. The step platform is as wide as the bay opening, and locks into place in the door jams. This step platform is moved from one bay to another by simply rotating and sliding along the mounting rail that extends from the front to rear of the trailer bay openings.
In another embodiment, a modification kit is made up of preformed insulation sandwich panels used to insulate trucks that are shipped from the truck manufacturer uninsulated. The panels are preformed to fit the various walls, cavities, floors, and ceilings of the multi chamber truck bodies. These panels are designed and installed so as to best protect the integrity of the refrigerated product stored inside. These panels are made of extruded, high grade, insulation board cut to size. This insulation product is sandwiched between two layers of aluminum sheeting. In some areas xe2x80x9cfoam in placexe2x80x9d insulation is used in addition to the panels.
In this process, the multiplex system utilizes either (1) a liquid supply/return line system and heat-exchange, air handling units inside the vehicular storage compartments; or (2) an air trunk line or duct work system that is attached on the supply and return sides of a air handler cooling coil arranged on the outside of the vehicle compartment. (See detail A-B, FIG. 8). In either case, the air handler coil is refrigerated by the same single outdoor condensing unit that cools the other buildings. (See detail AA, FIG. 3). In the latter case, the trunk line supplies cold air to each truck through an arctic air, insulated, flexible, duct system. This duct attaches to each truck by means of heavy duty cam lock connectors, which are normally eight inches in diameter. (See detail B-C, FIG. 9). The supply duct is attached to one end of the truck body, and the return to the opposite end, so that total cross cooling occurs. Each supply duct includes a self contained air booster that increases the air flow and maintains the proper static air differential for best air flow and cooling performance throughout the entire system. (See FIG. 8).
A special humidity removing cooling coil is used to assure the driest possible product cooling. The result is better control of condensation inside the trailer during delivery. This also protects the packing cartons against deterioration due to excess humidity. Dampers and thermostats, used to provide separate cooling control of each trailer, are included. These thermostats and dampers are used when the desired temperature in one truck is higher or lower than in another. The duct kits also include plugs and caps that are used to seal the male and female ends of each cam lock connector when the system is not in use.
This system has been engineered and designed to address a particular problem that exists in the beer manufacturing, storage, and delivery business. However, its application is far reaching. It also addresses a global environmental concern. That concern being the use of fluorocarbon gases for refrigeration purpose. The multiplex system uses up to 85% less fluorocarbon gas than most standard direct expansion systems.